Ill. State Rep. Deb Mell to announce engagement on House floor Wednesday

Chicago, IL —
This evening, State Rep. Deb Mell, D-Chicago, revealed on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" news program that she is engaged to be married to her partner of six years, Christin Baker. On Wednesday, Mell will make a public announcement of the engagement before the Illinois General Assembly to motivate discussions of legalizing same sex marriage in Illinois.

photo credit: www.debmell.org

Mell, daughter of Alderman Richard Mell and sister-in-law to former Governor Rod Blagojevich, told "Chicago Tonight" that although they plan to marry in Iowa, she wants to get married in Illinois.

"I mean, we could go to Iowa, and Iowa's great. I went to school in Iowa," Mell said, "but you know what? It's not the state where I represent. it's not the state where I grew up in. It's not the state I love."

Today is the one year anniversary of the day Iowa began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples following the state's supreme court legalization of same sex marriage.

Same sex marriage is currently legal in five states, including Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusettes, New Hampshire and Vermont. Gay marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia.